Albertsons Companies has appointed former Food Lion president Meg Ham and two other veteran executives to its board of directors, continuing a series of leadership changes at the Boise, Idaho-based retailer.
Ham will join the board Oct. 14 along with Bill Boltz, executive vice president of merchandising at Lowe’s Companies, and Chris Drumgoole, chief operating officer of Aligned Data Centers. The additions will expand Albertsons’ board from 11 to 14 members following the recent appointment of former eBay and Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman as executive chair.
The three new directors bring backgrounds spanning grocery operations, merchandising, omnichannel retail, technology, artificial intelligence and large-scale corporate transformation.
Ham brings the most direct supermarket operating experience to the board. She most recently served as president of Ahold Delhaize USA’s Food Lion, a $22 billion business operating more than 1,100 stores. During her tenure, Food Lion recorded 50 consecutive quarters of comparable-store sales growth while expanding its omnichannel capabilities and undertaking a broad store remodeling and repositioning effort.
Ham has more than 35 years of grocery retail experience, including leadership responsibilities covering merchandising, supply chain and operations. She also serves on the board of Tractor Supply Co.
“Albertsons is an iconic retailer with a talented leadership team and a customer-first culture,” Ham said. “I look forward to helping the company continue advancing its operational excellence, customer experience and growth initiatives.”
Boltz has more than four decades of retail experience and currently oversees merchandising, global sourcing, private brands, product development and omnichannel strategy across more than 1,700 Lowe’s stores and its digital platforms. His previous employers include Home Depot, Sears and Chevron North America.
Drumgoole adds a technology-focused background. Before joining Aligned Data Centers, he served as president of global infrastructure services at DXC Technology and as chief information officer at General Electric. His experience includes cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital transformation and AI-driven initiatives.
Albertsons CEO Susan Morris said the appointments add expertise that will support the retailer as it works to strengthen its business and become more agile.
“Bill’s expertise in merchandising and omnichannel retail, Chris’ deep technology and AI capabilities and Meg’s decades of grocery leadership and customer-focused transformation will be instrumental as we continue building a better, more agile company,” Morris said.
The appointments come three weeks after Albertsons named Whitman executive chair, a newly created position in which she is expected to work with Morris and the company’s senior leadership on strategy, execution and profitable growth.
Albertsons operates 2,240 stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 22 banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Shaw’s, Star Market, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market. The company also operates 1,708 in-store pharmacies, 408 fuel centers, 22 distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities.